binds

The definitions used in this glossary of terminology either have been
provided by the authors of the articles, or have been extracted wholly or in
part, or paraphrased from the following sources: The American Medical
Association Encyclopedia of Medicine, Charles B. Clayman, MD, Medical
Editor, Random House, New York, 1989; Biotechnology from A to Z, 2d
Edition, William Bains, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002;
A Dictionary of Genetics, 6th Edition, Robert C. King and William D.
Stansfield, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; Dorland's
Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 29th and 30th Editions, W. B. Saunders
Company, Philadelphia, 2000, 2003; Genes VII, Benjamin Lewin, Oxford
University Press, New York, New York, 2000; The Gale Encyclopedia of
Genetic Disorders, Volumes I and II, Stacey L. Blachford, Ed., Thomson
Learning, New York, New York, 2002; The Merriam-Webster Dictionary,
Merriam-Webster, Inc., Springfield, Massachusetts, 1997; Molecular
Biology of the Cell, 3rd Edition, Bruce Alberts, et al., Garland
Publishing, 1994; The Random House Dictionary of the English
Language, Unabridged Edition, 1966; Webster's Ninth New Collegiate
Dictionary, 1991.

antigen

DEFINITION:

A usually protein or carbohydrate substance (as a toxin or enzyme) capable of stimulating an immune response.

antibody

DEFINITION:

An immunoglobulin molecule that has a specific amino acid sequence by virtue of which it interacts only with the antigen that induced its synthesis in cells of the lymphoid series (especially plasma cells), or with an antigen closely related to it.

hormone

DEFINITION:

A product of living cells that circulates in body fluids and produces a specific effect on the activity of cells remote from its point of origin; especially: one exerting a stimulatory effect on a cellular activity.

hypophysiotropic hormones - Hormones produced by the hypothalamus, usually releasing hormones (see below), which maintain the endocrine functions of cells of the adenohypophysis.

neurohormone - A hormone secreted by a specialized neuron into the bloodstream, the cerebrospinal fluid, or the intercellular spaces of the nervous system.

releasing hormones - Hormones elaborated in one structure that cause the release of hormones from another structure, such as those from the hypothalamus that act on the adenohypophysis. The term is applied to substances of established chemical identity, whereas substances of unknown chemical structure are called releasing factors .

receptor

DEFINITION:

1. A molecular structure within a cell or on the surface characterized by (1) selective binding of a specific substance and (2) a specific physiologic effect that accompanies the binding, e.g., membrane receptors for peptide hormones, neurotransmitters, antigens, complement fragments, and immunoglobulins and nuclear receptors for steroid hormones.

2. A sensory nerve terminal that responds to stimuli of various kinds; classified in various ways including by the type of stimulus and by the location in the body.

V2 receptor - The structure to which the antidiuretic hormone, arginine vasopressin binds.